Cassy’s Corner- An Amazing Time with Fellow Writers

I’ve just returned from my second Brainstorming at the Spa session in Matera, Italy. I never made it to the spa. Let me start with a little background. For those of you who have heard this before, hang in with me.

The Women’s Fiction Festival will be having its 9^th celebration this year. Don’t be put off by the “Women’s” part of the name- there are plenty of men in attendance. The Festival is wonderful. It’s a true mix of writers, editors, agents and a few children running around. I won’t even mention the food and wine.

Out of that, a few years ago a small group of us decided we would benefit from a brainstorming time. Last year was our first get-together at a time different than of the Festival. The wonderful Liz Jennings coordinated it and the insightful Christine Witthohn of Book Cents Literary Agency led the discussions. We numbered about 18-20 last year, a few less this last week. Each writer had time to present his/her current project and the group focused on how to move the story forward. Christine gave us lots of feedback and presented industry know-how that we’d never find on our own.

I returned late last night from year two. This was my 4^th time to Matera, a very unusual and fascinating Italian town. I’ve now been to two Festivals and two brainstorming sessions. After four days of intense days (breakfast at 8am and bedtime after midnight), my mind is spinning.

 Except for one fantastic addition to the group, everyone there was a repeat from last year’s brainstorming plus Festival times. Over the year we have stayed in touch nearly daily. We have our Yahoo group, FaceBook, Twitter and private emails. The group is very international, writes across all genres, and stands ready to pitch in for each of us. With all of our contact, we didn’t need much “getting to know you” time. It allowed the work to began within minutes.

 Granted, we did have long lunches and late dinners, but I would guess that nearly 90% of the time focused on writing and publishing. There is something to be said about time that is not crazy with running to meeting after meeting in a large hotel but rather a concentrated effort to help each other move to the next level.

I thank each of the wonderful folks who took time to think through my work and also thank them for trusting me to comment on theirs. The only thing missing was a few more hours of sleep.

May you find a group that helps you think through your projects and support your efforts. Do check out the website for the Women’s Fiction Festival. It is a unique opportunity held in a place like no other.